Top 2018 Electric Utility Trends
As an emergency planning professional, it’s a good idea to be aware of regulatory and/or emerging electric utility trends. While these trends don’t shift dramatically from year to year, they are constantly evolving.
Top 2018 Electric Utility Trends So Far
Many of the 2018 year-to-date trends are not new, but it’s always a good idea to take a fresh look from time to time to make sure you are aligned with the future. Greentech Media recently published a list of their top-10 trends. What follows is an abbreviated version that covers the majority of the list.
- The green movement continues to gain momentum, encompassing more coal plant retirements and an increased interest in renewable energy sources.
- Grid operators are increasingly preparing for an influx of electric vehicles, driven (pardon the pun) by improving technology as well as clean energy mandates.
- Energy storage projects, often touted as the key to a truly clean grid, are just about ready for prime time.
- More states are pursuing market-based utility models such as performance-based regulation.
- The process of distribution planning is changing to include distributed generation.
- State-level energy efficiency mandates are on the rise.
The other top electric utility trends mentioned in the article are revising the treatment of capital vs. operating expenses, moving to time-varying rates, an increase in new metering beyond solar, and increased access to clean energy.
From an emergency preparedness perspective, many of these trends are designed to combat climate change and enhance utilities’ ability to take advantage of new technology, both of which are positives in our field. Here’s hoping these and other helpful electric utility trends will carry forward to 2019 and beyond!
